July 12, 2008

Getting Rejected is not the End of the World

Getting rejected for a scholarship is not the end of the world. While the disbursement of scholarships in Malaysia based on race is unfair, parents and students should not fall into the trap of the ‘victim’ mentality. Pick yourself up and do not dwell on the rejection. Go on and do A-Levels or STPM. Work hard and do it well. See story below. You can come back stronger and better! But an important thing is that students must use the two years to improve the standard of their English.

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Saturday July 12, 2008
Foo can always count on patience and perseverance
By VIJENTHI NAIR and AIZAT IRHAS
KUALA LUMPUR: Student Foo Fang Hai, 20, was disappointed when he failed to get a scholarship after his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia but his patience and perseverance paid off after completing his sixth form.

Foo, who was awarded a Singapore Scholarship to study accountancy at Singapore Management University said: “One can always achieve success if one works hard enough.”

“Recognise what you want and work hard at it,” said Foo, a former Victoria Institution student who scored 4As in his Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM).

Foo, who switched from science to arts stream in Form Six, fell in love with accounts after his father sent him for a crash course in accounting.

Well done: Jasudasen (third from left) congratulating (from left)Tan, Wong, Foo and Mithran at the Singapore High Commission yesterday.

“I was dejected when I did not get good results in my SPM and did not obtain any scholarship,” he said.

He added that the scholarship would lift the financial burden off his father, a retired bank officer.

Foo is one of the four lucky students who were awarded the scholarship at the Singapore High Commission yesterday.

Elaine Wong, 19, who will be joining Foo at the same university, said that her decision in turning down a Public Services Department scholarship was not in vain, as she secured herself another scholarship to pursue her dreams of becoming a forensic accountant.

“I thought I did not get it, as many of my friends got their scholarships much earlier. I was ready to leave to the States to study on my parents expense,” said Wong.

Mithran Vythinathan, 19, who scored 4As in his STPM, will be leaving for the National University of Singapore to pursue a mechanical engineering degree.

The last recipient, Tan Zhong Lin, 20, from Malacca, will be reading Mathematics and Economics at Nanyang Technological University.

Singapore High Commissioner to Malaysia T. Jasudasen, who presented the scholarships to the recipients, advised the scholars to take the opportunity to not only study but also build networks with other scholars that may be beneficial in the future.

Singapore Scholarship is open to students from Asean countries who want to pursue any full-time undergraduate degree except for medicine and dentistry in any Singaporean universities.

To date, 447 students have benefited from this award, with 38 of them being Malaysians.